A Tale of Poes and Fire Gone Wrong
by gwynnipig
Summary: When the inn is completely booked, Lorelai let's some guests stay at her house. Lorelai spends the night at Luke's. What happens when Nicole comes home?
1. Chapter 1

The Inn was on fire. And Lorelai was panicking.

"Sookie, Michel, um, is everyone out?" Lorelai inquired as she frantically spun around trying to do a quick head count.

Michel, carrying the guest list, replied, "Yes. We're sure, the fire department's sure, everyone is out and accounted for."

"Well we need to double check, triple check! And we-"

"Ma'am?" Chief Baker cut in, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've actually got some good news." The building is stable, and you're probably going to be able to get back in in about twenty-four hours." He gave a curt nod and Lorelai responded with a strained smile.

"Okay, good news, you're right. Twenty-four hours? Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lorelai responded gratefully. She turned around abruptly and hastily gave orders to her staff. "We need phones. And Internet. And breakfast. Oh gosh, and um," she paused, pressing her fingers to her temples and straining to figure out what she was missing. "We need flight and train information," She eventually added, and quickly turned to Michel. "Michel," she signaled to him, "Will you call all other Inns in the area and check if the guests can stay there for the night? And hurry please!"

As soon as Lorelai dismissed her staff to complete their tasks, Rory wandered up to Lorelai, handing her some coffee.

"It looks like you need some," Rory explained as Lorelai reached for the take-out cup.

"Thanks sweets, I really do. Ugh, do you believe this? Of all the days in a year, we get a fire on the night that we're completely booked with those Poe people." Lorelai paused and sipped her coffee.

"Yeah I know. Just your luck, right?" Rory nodded in agreement, "Well, do you need my help with anything? Phone calls, food, live entertainment? You know, I can do a pretty good Steve Urkel imitation." With that said, Rory hitched up her skirt and started doing some of Steve Urkel's dance moves.

Lorelai made a face and said, "No thanks kid. You're off the hook for now. Plus, if you started doing that dance, Kirk would probably want to join in, and that would probably scar us all for life."

Rory smiled and replied, "Are you sure? I know you love my Urkel dance." She laughed and then continued, "I'm just kidding…But call me it you need anything at all, okay?"

"Will do. See you at home then?" Lorelai leaned in and kissed Rory on the cheek.

"Yeah. Don't stress out too much though Mom." Rory responded in a concerned voice. She then waved as she turned and began walking home.

Lorelai smiled and then checked her watch. 6:45. Damn, she thought, biting her lip as she scanned the crowd of people for Michel, it's almost time for breakfast. I'd better grab something to eat before I have to deal with the guests…

Lorelai threw open the door to the diner and called out, "Oh burger boy! I need you out here, like, now!" When Luke didn't appear immediately, she started tapping her foot and sighing in annoyance.

Luke came out of the storeroom in a huff. "Lorelai, I don't have time for your games today. The morning rush is going to get here soon and Caesar is taking the day off."

"I'm sooo sorry," Lorelai snickered, then continued on, "How rude, I run all the way here from the Inn, which for me, is quite an accomplishment, and all you do is stand there and tell me to go away. I'm insulted."

"Sorry," Luke replied, somewhat sarcastically. "Huh. Yeah, I was wondering why you were all red. You did look really tired and hot when you came in."

"My my. Ol' Luke here thinks I'm hot." Lorelai flashed him a grin and batted her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Oh jeez…" Luke muttered, and he came out from behind the counter to wipe the tables down.

"Well anyways, I want some chocolate chip pancakes please." Lorelai requested, resting her chin on one hand and stirring her coffee with the other.

"Fine. I'll make them when I'm done."

Lorelai had momentarily forgotten all about the Inn, and felt a sudden pang of panic as she sat there at the counter and the memories came rushing back. "Oh my gosh. You will never guess what happened at the Inn tonight. We had a fire. A big one. Except the guy to me that it's stable, or that the stables are fine, or that the building is ok, or something like that. I don't really remember. And now we have a bunch of guests with no place to stay, unless Michel got rooms for them, but I don't know if he did because I haven't seen him yet." Lorelai paused and took a deep breath. "We don't have any breakfast for the guests now, and we're supposed to feed them, or else we'll never have any customers again. We need construction worker dudes and plumbers and lots of other workers to fix everything, and I think the insurance covers all of that but I'm not sure. The Inn's a mess, the people are a mess, and I'm a mess."

Luke just stared the whole time, and stood before her with his mouth hanging open. "Wha..! Well…um…more coffee?"

Lorelai gave a weak smile and nodded. "Sure, why not."

Luke found his voice again, and cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're insurance covers all the damage. Your guests, well, they can eat here, on the house if you want. And I'm pretty sure a lot of people have guests rooms in their houses…"

Lorelai waited a moment, thinking about it all, eyes lighting up in hope, but then she sighed and shook her head no. "We have way too many guests, with all those Poe people staying here. I don't think we can find over forty temporary homes for them tonight."

"Oh," Luke mumbled, "Well maybe if you talked to Patty or someone, she could figure something out for you…"

"Well, I've actually gotta get running after these pancakes, but do you think you could do me a big favor and call Patty?" Lorelai glanced up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Well, um, with the morning rush and all…" Luke trailed on, looking away, "Well actually, it's okay. I'll call her, no problem."

"Are you sure? That would help a ton. Thanks Luke! You're officially my new hero." She stood up and gave Luke a hug, telling herself that the only reason the hug felt so wonderful and natural was because she was relieved about the Inn…

Lorelai was outside of the Inn when Rory called. Lorelai flipped open her phone and began speaking. "Talk to me."

"Hello to you too Mom. Miss Patty just confirmed that she could take in four guests."

"Great! So that means that we have…." Lorelai scrunched up her faceas she ran through the mental math, "Four more guests," she concluded, "Right?"

"Yeah. So I was thinking that I could stay at Lane's house, and we could take in the last four Poes at our house."

"Okay. Umm…that's good. But I don't really want to be alone in the house with those weird Poe people. I guess I'll ask Babette or someone if I can stay with them…"

"Sure. Well I've gotta run, see you soon!"

Lorelai smiled and replied, "'Kay, bye babe." She snapped her phone shut and dropped it in her purse and looked at her watch. I 6:15 /I "I'm going to Luke's!" She yelled at no one in particular, hoping that someone would hear her." Lorelai climbed into her Jeep and drove away. When she got to Luke's, she hesitated at the door before opening it. She quickly reassured herself that there was nothing weird about the proposition she was about to make.

"Hey Luke?" She asked walking up to the counter, "Your couch is still free, right?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry I took forever to update this! My life is super busy and, quite frankly, I take forever to write. Well, quality over..ehh...time right? Hah...Well hopefully I will have the third chapter sooner. Also, tons of thanks to Once Upon A Whim for being such a great beta. She is ah-mazing. (For all you Clique readers out there) Thanks chica!!

Luke's head snapped up as he stated, "No. Absolutely not. I am not taking in any of those Poe nutcases. It was bad enough having to listen to that poem twice." Luke scowled and continued on, "N-o. And besides," he added, eyeing Lorelai skeptically, " I thought you'd already found enough rooms for them!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes and replied, "Whoa, calm down there mister. The Poes are all taken care of." She sighed dramatically, "It's just me, your currently homeless friend, that you need to take in so I won't catch pneumonia."

Luke, turning slightly red, mumbled, "Oh.… uhh, Well…"

"Pretty pretty please?" Lorelai begged, "I won't be annoying, I promise. Well, actually, I can't really promise that, but I'll try my absolute to be less annoying than usual." Lorelai gave him her best puppy dog face.

"Uh, yeah sure. I guess it's okay." Luke readjusted his hat and attempted a smile. The whole time he was wondering why he was so nervous; he was just helping a friend, right? It's not like Nicole would care or anything…

Lorelai flashed him a big smile. "Thanks Luke. I really really really appreciate it." She looked up and they locked eyes for what seemed to be a moment too long…

Luke, a bit flustered, said, "Uh, so what time do you want to come over? You know, so I can have your bed made and everything."

"Well, the Poes are coming to my place at eight-ish so I was thinking I would just come here around then." Lorelai, glancing at one of the customers' mugs, added, "Coffee please?"

Luke, after giving her the "You shouldn't be drinking this crap" look, reached under the counter and grabbed a mug. "Okay, eight is fine. Anything else?"

"Yeah. I want you to stop giving me those looks."

Luke smiled mischievously and replied, "What looks?"

"Oh, just your 'I hope you know you're gonna die soon because of this junk' looks." Lorelai smirked and then feigned anger, "I'm one of your best customers. You should be glad I'm eating all of your food!"

"Actually, no, you're not. You hardly ever pay. You always walk out before I have a chance to tell you to!"

Lorelai rose up from her stool and replied flirtatiously, "Well, what can I say? You men are always distracted by my irresistible charm." And as she walked out of the diner, Luke couldn't help but think about how true her last statement was.

As Lorelai walked up to Sookie, she moaned dramatically and announced, "When is this nightmare going to be over? I feel like I've aged a hundred years."

Sookie smiled sympathetically and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon and everything will be back to normal." She yawned loudly, then giggled, "Oops. I think we all need some beauty rest; it's not good for us girls to be looking so tired. But anyway, where did you just run off to?"

"Oh, I just went to Luke's. Grab some coffee, be annoying, you know, just the usual." Lorelai shrugged. "Oh, and I forgot to ask you; are you 'housing' any of the Poes tonight?"

"Nope," Sookie replied, "How about you?"

Lorelai made a face and said, "Unfortunately for me, yes. I'm getting kicked out of my house tonight."

"Oh, hun, do you need a place to stay tonight? You can always stay with me and Jackson, you know," Sookie offered.

Lorelai smiled and replied, "Oh, it's alright, I already convinced Luke to let me stay with him tonight. But thanks anyways Sookie."

Sookie furrowed her brow, looking slightly bemused. "Huh…"

"What's wrong?" It was now Lorelai's turn to be concerned.

Sookie's concerned expression disappeared almost instantly and a smile took its place, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm okay. Actually, I'm better than ok." She giggled. "So…What time are you _'going to Luke's'_?" Sookie raised her eyebrows seductively.

"Sookie! What are you implying?!" Lorelai yelped, playfully hitting her on the arm.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just…does Nicole know about this little rendezvous?" Sookie began jumping up and down giddily. "Ooh how dramatic!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes before replying, "Sookie, there is nothing dramatic about me staying at Luke's tonight. I just needed a place to stay, and his couch was available. I'm sure Luke has already told Nicole, not that she would care anyways."

"Whatever you say, Lorelai," Sookie said in a not-so-convincing tone, "But...what did Rory think about it?"

"What? Oh, I haven't told her yet. I think she'll be glad that I'm not going to be sleeping in the Gazebo tonight." Lorelai paused and checked her watch. "Oops, sorry Sookie, I've gotta run. I need to pack for tonight and it's already 7. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, right? Bye!"

At 7:45, Lorelai was no closer to being packed than she was 45 minutes before. Lorelai's pajama drawer was torn apart, her bathroom counter was no longer visible under all of her makeup, and her hair was still wrapped up in her towel. She frantically ran around her room, and in the process she stubbed her toe on a chair leg. Screaming in frustration and pain, she grabbed her phone from her purse and called Rory. "Rory, babe, Mommy is facing a huge dilemma. I don't know what to wear tonight, I'm not packed at all and the Poes are coming in less than fifteen minutes. Oh, and I just mashed my toe. Help!"

Rory, stifling a giggle on her side of the phone, replied, "Mom? Calm down. When you called me a few minutes ago you sounded fine." She frowned. "How did you stub your toe…? But anyways, how hard is it to pull out a pair of pajamas? It's not like you're going on a date or anything. It's just Luke, Mom."

Lorelai was silent on her end of the phone.

"Mom…?" Rory asked as she contemplated their conversation, "Are you there still?" Rory paused for a moment. "Oh… My….It's not _just_ Luke anymore, is it? It's _Luke_. Luke. Luke! Finally…Wow."

"H-hey! I never said that! Don't you start now too!" Lorelai sputtered.

Rory chirped, "But I know that's what you're thinking. Don't deny it Mom!"

"I am denying it. No! Well, I don't know. Luke is Luke. I just don't want to look like a mess, you know?" Lorelai pleaded.

"Aw, my mother is trying to impress Luke. How cute!" Rory giggled.

"Evil child. Ugh, stop mocking me and tell me what to wear!" Lorelai pleaded.

"Fine. Hmm…wear your Victoria's sweats that say pink on the butt and the cami that matches. And bring a sweater in case it gets cold."

"That's it?! I've been going through my entire pj drawer for almost an hour and you find me the perfect outfit in two minutes. Unbelievable." Lorelai wriggled out of her bathrobe and attempted getting changed while on the phone. "Ugh, stupid sweats. Ack! Hold on babe, I'm obviously not very good at multitasking. Let me put you on speaker." After dropping the phone twice, yanking on her cami, and finding the speaker button on the phone, she finally spoke again. "Ah, now that's better. Anyways, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, I was going to tell you how brilliant you were. Thanks kid, I owe you majorly."

Rory laughed and responded, "No problem. Well Lane is calling me now, so I'd better go. Have fun tonight. Oh, ew, that sounded gross. Well, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. Well I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Back atcha.."

"Oh, and if you tell anyone about this, I am so totally denying it," Lorelai threatened.

Rory rolled her eyes and replied, "Okay, fine Mom. Bye!"

"Bye" Lorelai snapped her phone shut and glanced at her watch. _7:55._ The doorbell rang as if on cue, and Lorelai grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to greet her guests.

Back at his apartment, Luke was getting more nervous by the second. Why had she asked to stay with him? Did it mean nothing, or was it actually some sort of signal he was supposed to be picking up on? He figured he could probably pull off going to bed at 10, but what were they supposed to do for 2 whole hours before that? Luke paced around his room some more, and felt his pulse racing when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Lorelai knocked on Luke's door and waited for him to open.

Luke, standing on the opposite side of the door, reached for the doorknob, then stopped and pulled his hand away. He scowled at himself for acting so stupid and pulled open the door. "Hey Lorelai," he greeted sheepishly.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled, "Jeez, it took you long enough to answer the door."

Luke laughed awkwardly and replied, "Yeah, sorry about that. Come on in." Lorelai followed him inside and closed the door behind her.

"So," Luke began, "Do you want anything to eat or drink? Beer or something?"

"Sure, I guess I'll have a beer." Lorelai stopped and looked around, "Hey, where should I put my stuff?"

"It doesn't matter. Just drop it anywhere," Luke replied from the kitchen. Walking back toward her he said, "Here," and handed one to Lorelai. "Ah damn. I forgot about the bed. I'll go do that now. You can just, uh, make yourself at home." Luke quickly turned and walked away.

Lorelai, confused by his abruptness, said, "I'll help. Slow down you, what's the big rush?"

Luke mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, sorry. It's just…Is this a little weird for you?"

"Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you," Lorelai replied as she walked forward to hear what he had to say, "What'd you say?"

"Uh, well I was just wondering if-" Luke started to explain.

"Ooh!" Lorelai interrupted, reaching for a certificate and plaque on the shelf above her bed, "What's this? Did you win a prize? Aww, when did you get this Luke?"

Luke, startled, growled, "Hey! That's private! Put it down!"

Lorelai jumped onto the bed and teasingly read out, "This award, presented to Luke Danes, is for his outstanding achievement in Boy scouts. Luke has excelled in all areas including fishing, camping, and lending a hand in his community."

Luke also stepped onto the bed and lunged for the certificate. "Lorelai!" he barked, "Give it back!"

Lorelai laughed and replied, "If you want it, you have to come and get it!" She hopped off her bed and bounded towards the kitchen. Luke ran after her, grabbed her arms and snatched his certificate back. Lorelai cried, "Hey!" and began hitting him on the arm. "You meanie, you! Ugh, I should've seen that one coming! Ah!"

Luke grinned and replied, "Oh, no. You're not getting off that easy."

She shrieked and giggled at the same time. "Let go of me! Let go!"

Both Luke and Lorelai were too busy laughing to hear the door being slowly pushed open.


	3. Chapter 3

"Luke?" Nicole called out tentatively while stepping through the threshold, "What's going -" She froze once she saw Luke and Lorelai, "On here?" Nicole glared at the two of them and demanded, "Am I interrupting something?"

Luke immediately took his hands off of Lorelai's arms and stammered, "Nicole…hey. No. Uh, Lorelai's inn got taken over by some guests and she needed a place to crash." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued, "I didn't think you were coming over tonight."

Processing what she saw in front of her, Nicole flatly stated, "Obviously."

Luke nodded as he continued in his defense, "I mean, I would have called, but I didn't really think it would be such a big deal, right?"

"You didn't think I was coming over tonight?!" Nicole echoed, her voice starting to rise.

Luke grimaced and responded, "Uh…yeah?"

She sarcastically remarked, "Oh? So you knew I wasn't coming here, so you invited your other girlfriend to stay the night?" She shook her head in disgust.

Luke, flabbergasted, replied, "No! What!? No, Nicole, it's just Lorelai! It's not like that."

"Then what is it like, Luke?" Nicole exploded, "Am I really supposed to believe your 'her house is being used by guests' story? Really, Luke, if you're fooling around behind my back, I'd at least expect a better excuse than that. Who in their right mind lets complete strangers stay in their house when they're not even there?"

Luke angrily replied, "Fooling around? I'm not cheating on you! You know I wouldn't do that. I'm just helping out a friend! What the hell is wrong with that?"

Nicole exploded, "Well, what's wrong is that I think it's more than helping out a 'friend' when I come in and see you all over her in our kitchen!"

Lorelai, feeling awfully uncomfortable at that point, not to mention oddly stung by Luke's 'It's just Lorelai' comment, lamely mumbled, "Uh, sorry Nicole. It's just…I thought you knew that I was coming over. But it's true—I just came to crash the night." Lorelai gestured to the door and continued, "Um…I think I should go…Check on those Poes and all…"

Luke turned towards Lorelai and replied, "No, that's crazy. You have nowhere to sleep at your place. It's fine that you stay." Annoyed, he glanced at Nicole, "_Right_?"

Nicole gave Lorelai a dirty look and replied, "Actually, I think you need to go."

Luke stubbornly refused, "This is my apartment, and I say that she can stay. And that is final."

"It's okay, really Luke, I think I'd better go…" Lorelai went to reach for her duffel bag, but Luke cut her off.

"Luke, I need to talk to you. Now." Nicole stormed to the door and motioned for Luke to follow. "Make yourself at home, sweetheart," She shot nastily in Lorelai's direction as she went down the stairs.

Luke mumbled a quick sorry to Lorelai, followed Nicole downstairs, and closed the door behind him. Lorelai bit her lip and wondered why she always got stuck in the worst situations.

A minute or two later, Lorelai heard screaming.

"_Luke! You can't just invite some woman over without telling me!"_

"_It's just Lorelai!"_

"_That's even worse!"_

"_Dammit Nicole, keep it down!"_

Their conversation quieted to whisper-yells, and Lorelai could no longer hear what they were saying. Against her better judgment, Lorelai tiptoed to the door, slowly opened it, and carefully listened to what they were saying.

Downstairs, Luke felt sick to his stomach. "Nicole, can we discuss this tomorrow?! Just let her stay the night, and when she's gone, we'll talk. It's rude to keep her waiting up there."

"Luke! You just don't get it do you?!" Nicole took a deep breath and more calmly stated, "You've known her for eight years. You see her every day—more than you see me, might I add. I'm not blind – she's pretty. I'm sure guys think she's gorgeous, and you flirt with her all the time. Don't you think I have a right to be suspicious?"

Luke hissed, "I do not flirt with her all the time. I don't flirt.And yes I've known her for-"

"Do you love her?" Nicole accused, "Just tell me the truth."

Luke hesitated, then responded, "Of course I love her! I've known her for eight years, I've watched her kid grow up, and she comes into the diner all of the time. She's one of my best friends. But I'm in this relationship with you, aren't I? Doesn't that count for anything?"

"No, it really doesn't! Do you know how hard this is for me? To see my boyfriend spending all of his time with another woman whenever I'm not around?" Nicole sighed in frustration. "It doesn't make me feel any better just because you are "seeing" me. To tell you the truth, you act more like her boyfriend than mine."

Luke hesitated and started, "Nicole…"

"You know what Luke? I'm tired of it. So I think you'd better figure out something soon, or else this relationship is going to be over."

"You're not being fair. You can't make me choose between you and her. I'm not going to cut her out of my life. And you know what? I don't know if I even want to be with someone who is that selfish."

Nicole replied, "Fine. Then I guess we're over." She stormed over to the door, yanked it open, and just before walking off she said, "You'd better tell her soon, or else you'll have ruined out relationship for nothing!"

Luke sighed, amazed at how quickly the night had gone by. As he was wondering if he was doing the right thing, he heard Lorelai's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Lorelai?" He called out, and hesitated before reluctantly mumbling, "Uh…Nicole and I just broke up…"

Lorelai appeared at the steps and guiltily glanced at him. "Um, I kinda heard everything…I'm sorry Luke. But, the thing is, I think you just made a huge mistake."


End file.
